verb
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to inform; tell
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to draw attention to; make known; announce
Other Word Forms
- notifiable adjective
- notifier noun
- prenotify verb (used with object)
- renotify verb (used with object)
- unnotified adjective
Etymology
Origin of notify
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English notifien, from Middle French notifier, from Latin nōtificāre, from (g)nōt(us), past participle of (g)nōscere “to come to know” ( know 1 ) + -ificāre -ify
Explanation
To notify is to officially give someone a piece of information. If your poem wins the local poetry competition, the judges will notify you that you're the winner. When you notify someone about something, it can be good or bad news. New parents notify friends and family about their baby's birth. When a library's money problems force it to close on Sundays, it might notify its patrons with an email or a letter. Notify comes from the Latin notificare, "to make known," which stems from notus, "known," and facere, "make or do."
Vocabulary lists containing notify
Selection Vocabulary 2, Unit 5
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Louisiana’s Way Home
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The charges, first reported by the Gazette in Gloucestershire, state Rowell was present at an address where a child resided for more than 12 hours and failed to notify Gwent Police within three days.
From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026
Our previous CPA retired after decades of handling our taxes, but he didn’t notify us.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026
Epstein’s accountant emailed Epstein in December 2018 to notify him that Nikolic was stepping down from the board.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
“The law says we have to notify them 48 hours after beginning hostilities. We’ve done that.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026
And maybe if the surgeon would’ve come, maybe if he hadn’t lost so much blood, if the surgeon had only come, they would know who to notify and where.
From "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
